Surfactant assisted synthesis of CuO nanostructures for nonenzymatic glucose sensor

Abstract In the present work, CuO thin films are synthesized using the chemical bath deposition method and examined their electrochemical properties for non-enzymatic glucose sensors. Surfactants such as Triton X-100, cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) and polyethylene glycol (PEG) are used to study their effect on structural, morphological electrochemical properties of CuO thin films. The crystallinity and morphology of CuO thin films was determined using an X-ray diffractometer (XRD) and a Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FE-SEM). The prepared CuO thin films exhibit a monoclinic phase with bundles of nanosheets. The CuO thin films prepared using different surfactants exhibits different morphology. The electrochemical properties are studied by cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry. The prepared CuO thin films serve as an active material for nonenzymatic glucose sensor with a favorable response. The CuO thin films prepared with triton X-100 shows high sensitivity 2025 µAmM-1cm−2 at a potential of + 0.6 V with response time (∼5s), linear range 3 μm to 3 mM. The selectivity of prepared CuO thin films with different surfactants towards interfering species ascorbic acid is studied. All the CuO thin films show a greater response to glucose than ascorbic acid.